Talent and skill are needed to reach VCT Champions, but also having a bit of luck is the cherry on top. That’s exactly what happened with Fnatic’s Chronicle today who skillfully won and showed off his birthday luck with a rare variant of the Black Market butterfly knife.
In the first elimination round at VALORANT Champions 2024, Fnatic eliminated G2 Esports with a 2-0 victory—and on top of their skills and talent, Fnatic also showed off a bit of luck in the final round of the match.
The match against G2 Esports kicked off on Fnatic’s map pic, Haven, where the EMEA first seed won with a dominating 13-3 score. Alfajer was the star of the show, scoring 24 kills in just 16 rounds, leaving G2 with little chance to fight back. But it’s not a G2-FNC match in any esport unless there’s a bit of a rollercoaster, and that proved true in VALORANT as well, as G2 found their footing on map two and struck back.
After being outclassed on Haven, G2 pushed back hard on their own map pick, forcing Fnatic into a tight race towards the win on Bind. While Fnatic took an early 8-4 lead, G2 refused to go down quietly, and by breaking Fnatic’s economy, they tied the score at 8-8. Fans hoped to see the match reach map three, with both teams trading rounds and the tension escalating with every play.
It all came down to the final round, with Fnatic holding a precarious 12-11 lead. G2 had the upper hand in a four-vs.-two situation, looking poised to push the game into overtime and hopefully snatch one map from Fnatic’s hands. But that’s when Chronicle stepped up to deliver the moment of the match. While his IGL Boaster initiated a risky defuse on A site in front of Showers, Chronicle found the right angle to spray the remaining four G2 players.
In a chaotic exchange of blows, G2’s remaining players rushed out of showers, running through smokes and a Cosmic Divide, bombarding the site with flashes, but Chronicle’s well-timed spray through the chaos took down his opponents and secured the win for Fnatic. The clutch itself was a jaw-dropping play, but what happened next was even more mind-blowing. As the round ended, Chronicle pulled out the Black Market butterfly knife with an ultra-rare fade skin variant, which has a mere 0.084 percent chance of appearing—-all on his birthday.
After their disappointing 2-0 loss against Team Heretics in the first round of the Playoffs stage, Fnatic needed the win to stay in the tournament. In a post-match segment on the offical English broadcast, Fnatic’s coach reflected on the team’s turnaround, revealing they had a long and difficult discussion after the loss to Heretics, but that the team faced today’s match with the right energy to “steamroll” the rest of the competition.
G2, on the other hand, saw their run at Champions come to an end, marking the close of their competitive year. Fnatic now moves forward to face either Sentinels or EDward Gaming in the next round of the lower bracket on Sunday. With their confidence soaring after today’s win—and with luck seemingly on their side—Fnatic will be looking to continue their march towards the grand finals.
